


show me your face

by sejuns_dimples



Category: The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, Emotions, Help, How Do I Tag, Platonic Relationships, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 17:48:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sejuns_dimples/pseuds/sejuns_dimples
Summary: long story short the boyz 98-line members are special and they try to fix the shitty world they are living in.(the first chapter will be a complete summary)
Kudos: 4





	1. summary

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know. i sincerely don't know what this is and where did it come from. 
> 
> there might be mentions of mental issues, anxiety problems, self harm, post traumatic stress, etc. i am not sure yet that's why i didn't add any tags. i will be adding more as the plot unfolds. 
> 
> i also hope i can update this regularly although school is a little too much. i will try to post at least once or twice a week even if i have to ruin my sleep schedule (which barely exists already) to do that.
> 
> this is the first fanfiction i am posting here. i hope it doesn't end up being awful as hell. enjoy.

In a world where everyone is born unable to make any facial expression but a specific one, expressing their feelings sincerely can become the biggest challenge a person can face during their lives. When one can only smile, they can’t express their sadness. When one can only keep a straight face, they can’t express their pain. When one can only pout, they can’t express their happiness. When one can only frown, they can’t express their love towards someone.

The biggest question is why can’t people express all their feelings. What stops them from doing so? Isn’t it normal for a baby to cry when in pain? Isn’t it normal for a child to scream in fear while watching their first horror movie? Isn’t it normal for a teenager to laugh when they prank their friends? Isn’t it normal for a person to cover their mouth in shock when their significant other gets down on one knee and proposes? Isn’t it normal for a mother to scream in pain when she finds her child laying in a pool of blood on their bathroom floor? So why can’t they? Why can a person laugh at a joke but can’t cry when their parents die in an accident? Why are they still laughing when the hospital calls them to tell them they have no family anymore? Why can a person scream in pain when they fall down but can’t get excited when their friends organize a surprise birthday party for them?

But what if suddenly a group of people that can make various expressions is born? Who knew that being able to use your facial muscles could put your life on the line. Who knew that being able to express both happiness and sadness, both anger and regret, both surprise and pain, both love and hatred, could mean your safety is in danger.

In 1998, 4 boys were born. at first, there was nothing abnormal about them. Until one day, they started showing different emotions. The boy that was always confident and stable started feeling inferior to other kids his age, the boy that was always optimistic and happy started crying whenever things didn’t go his way, the boy that was always calm and strong started having outbursts of anger over every little thing, the boy that was always innocent and hopeful started losing hope. Even if they were too young, their difference from the other kids was easy to spot. So their parents hid them from the world.

Years later the boys wanted to leave. They needed to feel free. And that's when, in 2021, they decide to leave their home, their country, move to another continent. That's when their college life begins. And things get complicated.


	2. we'll be fine... or not

“Mom, we’re home”. The blue haired boy shouted as he walked in the house. He carefully leaned against the wall and took his sneakers off before walking in the living room, his socked feet sinking in the fluffy carpet.

“Did you guys find what you were looking for?”. His mom shouted back from the kitchen, the sound of food boiling in the background made his stomach complain.

“No, we hope we will find it when we get there”. He plopped on the comfortable couch, a bunch of pillows hugging his waist and making him feel like he’s floating on a cloud.

“Why do you have to find a specific bl-”. She cut herself off as she was walking towards the living room, a bright colored towel drying her hands. “Lee Juyeon, what did you do to your hair?”. The middle aged woman shouted as she was placing one hand on the boy’s cheek and another on his blue dyed locks that were covering his head. Her voice was high pitched this time, the surprise audible in her tone, but nowhere to be seen on her face.

“Wait until you see Chanhee’s”. He laughed and pulled away from her touch. His movement wasn’t aggressive. He just didn’t like people touching him. His mother already knew that of course, but a mother can’t stop herself from touching her son. The boy he mentioned walked in the room with a bright smile on his face, holding one suitcase half his size in each hand, his platinum hair glowing through the sunlight coming in from the window. She gasped covering her mouth with her palms. Her expression still didn’t change though. Her lips were still smiling, stars shining in her eyes, cheekbones high, and dimples visible on her cheeks.

“Boys, why did you do that?”. Her voice sounded even more shocked this time. Not mad, just shocked. In any other case she probably wouldn’t care but the hair colors they chose didn’t match their designated emotions and expressions at all. Juyeon was supposed to look confident, stable, professional, his face always serious, composed. Chanhee, on the other hand, had to look calm, stable, balanced, always keeping a neutral expression, neither too happy nor too serious. So the most suitable hair color for Juyeon would be black, and maybe brown for Chanhee.

“I told him platinum would be too much. I wanted pink instead, but he convinced me”. Chanhee glanced at his reflection on the huge window, patting his head to flatten out some loose strands of hair.

“Isn’t pink too vibrant for a calm and neutral person like you?”. The slightly taller boy mocked him before turning his gaze back to his mother. “Mom, it’ll be fine. Does having a designated expression mean we can’t dye our hair?”. He held her warm hand in his and smiled slightly. The other boy took her second hand in his.

“He’s right, auntie”. He agreed with his friend and shot her another bright smile.

“Will you stop smiling?!”. Her voice sounded a little sad this time but the smile didn’t leave her lips. Not that it could disappear anyway. “You’ve made five different expressions since you walked in the room”.

“Auntie!”. A third boy ran in the house, black fluffy hair bouncing as he jumped around, while a smile revealed all of his teeth, and a pair of cute dimples adding to his handsome visual.

“How come his hair isn’t red or something?”. Her tone was sarcastic but something about the look on the other two boys’ faces told her she was missing something. Once the boy stopped hopping around, she managed to notice the black choker wrapped around his long neck and the fluffy blue sweater that left a part of his chest showing. “Ji Changmin, change clothes now”. She sounded serious, but when you’re always smiling it’s hard to look intimidating.

“What? Why?”. His smile faded and was replaced by a confused expression.

“You don’t look innocent right now”. Juyeon raised an eyebrow tugging on his ripped jeans to tease him. Changmin was supposed to look innocent, pure, angelic, but he looked more seductive than what his expression should be looking like. He pouted in disappointment as he pulled on an oversized hoodie in his suitcase, wearing it over his sweater. “But, mom, people won’t know our designated expressions when we get to the college. And he can’t just keep the angelic innocent act while performing. He has to look fierce, confident, sexy”. He complained and hugged a pillow as if it was going to solve all their problems and give them the answers they were looking for all those years.

“Boys, you can’t let anyone know that you’re different. You have to act as if you can only make one expression. If people were to find out about you, you will automatically be in danger”. She gently patted their heads, her voice soft and understanding. She knew why they were complaining. Hiding their emotions was hard for them. That’s why they were homeschooled and didn’t meet with other kids growing up. It’s one thing to not be able to make every different expression in order to express your feeling. But it’s completely different to be able to make those expressions, but have to hide them so that your life isn’t in danger. They couldn’t keep hiding though. They felt like they were suffocating. That’s why they had to get out of that country. They wanted to go to college in a country where it would be less likely for them to get in trouble. They had been talking about going for a couple of years. And now they would finally go.

“Sorry I’m late. Are you ready boys?”. Juyeon’s father walked in the house with a frown on his face that turned into a loving smile when he locked eyes with his wife. He was like them. Chanhee and Changmin’s mothers too.

“Dad, do you like our new hair?”. Juyeon asked hoping his father would say yes. Something in the pit of his stomach was bothering him since his mother commented on their hair and clothes about how they didn’t suit them.

“Looking good, boys. Changmin, aren’t you feeling hot with that hoodie on?”. His words made the boys smile. Changmin pulled the hem of his hoodie and took it off once again revealing his skin and neck. Juyeon’s father had this incredible ability to read the boys like they were open books and always understand what was troubling them. “Okay, I think we have some time. Sit down for a second”. He spoke in a gentle tone, although he knew his wife would nag at him later for saying what he was about to say. Still, he sat on an armchair, facing the three boys. He could understand their feelings completely. He felt the same exact way. “Consider this a second chance. You still have to hide, but you don’t have to follow the rules like you’ve been doing. Choose the expression that suits you the best and use that. You get to make that choice right now. Don’t be an idiot like me. I had that opportunity and I blew it by choosing this stupid frown. Choose whatever expresses you the most. You couldn’t do that here since someone would notice the change. But out there no one knows you. They have no idea who you are and what expression you’re supposed to be cursed with. So make that choice wisely on your way there. And you never know. You might find more people like you. You might find the answer to what’s stopping people from using their face to express themselves. I believe in you. And I’m proud of you. Just try to not get killed in less than a week”. He smiled gently and the boys nodded. He was right. This was their chance to basically start over.

“I think that last part is most likely to happen”. Changmin half joked but took it back when the towel which Juyeon’s mother used to dry her hands landed with force on his thigh. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, we won’t die!”.

[...]

“Ready to go?”. Juyeon’s father fastened his seatbelt looking at the boys as he talked just to be ignored by all of them. “Hey, I’m talking to you”. Chanhee shoved his elbow in Changmin’s ribs while the latter teased him for the cute plushie he was putting carefully in his backpack. Meanwhile, his son was listening to music, earphones cancelling the noises from the outside world, his shoulders discreetly keeping up with the beat. “Hello?!”. The loud sound of the car’s horn though brought the three boys back to reality, startled expressions in their faces. A sign they probably wouldn’t do well trying to hide their secret.

“Masks!”. Juyeon exclaimed, remembering what his gut was telling his they had forgotten. Instead of trying to hide their expressions all the time they had decided to cover as much of their face as they could. He loosened his seatbelt and dashed outside the car and into the house.

“What happened?”. He ignored his mom and ran up the stairs barging in his room. In a shift motion he grabbed the three black face masks he had bought the day before and returned to the car before the other men even realized what had happened.

“Now we’re ready to go”. He smiled after handing the masks to his friends and fastening his seatbelt once again. His father hesitated a little before starting the engine, his face screaming _‘they’re going to end up dead in a week’_ , but in the end he just chuckled and drove away from his home’s driveway.

“Hey, dad, when did you start making more expressions?”. His voice broke the silence after a while. The man behind the steering wheel seemed to be in thought for a few seconds. He smiled travelling back in his memories.

“It’s going to sound way too cheesy, but it started when I saw your mom”. The boys cringed to his answer and he laughed at their reaction. “I still don’t know what causes it. Why people are stuck with that one expression they’re stuck with. I know you guys want to find that out. But don’t go too far. It can be dangerous”.

“Do you know why we are different?”. Chanhee’s voice was tiny, he was probably scared to get an answer.

“No. For me, it could be knowing too much about emotions and wanting to know even more or my feelings for my wife being too strong and all that cliche stuff. But you were way too young for those things to apply”.

“Awesome, we’re just a bunch of weirdos”. Changmin scoffed and looked down at his hands.

“You’re not. You’re just special”. The car stopped in front of the airport and the man turned around smiling at them. “Cheer up. Wear your masks and get out of here. And I’m sure you will find the answers you need”. The boys smiled back at him before covering their mouths and noses with their masks. They winked at the same time and rushed to get out of the vehicle. “Sorry I can’t wait with you, but I have to get back to the office”. He apologized when Juyeon opened the passenger side’s door to grab his suitcases. His frown was back on his face since he had to get in character before returning to work.

“It’s fine, dad, thanks for driving us”. The boy and his father did their signature handshake for the last time in a while. The boys turned their backs to him walking towards the airport’s entrance waving to him with one hand in the air.

“I love you, boys. Be safe!”. He shouted waving back at them.

“Are we really going to be okay?”. Chanhee turned to Juyeon with worry clouding his expression.

“We’ll be fine”. The older boy reassured him, probably trying to convince himself as well.

[...] 

Chanhee's nervousness had seemingly disappeared after Juyeon reassured him they would be okay. Even with the mask covering his lips, the other two boys could tell that he had a smile on his face. That made them smile as well since Chanhee was the one that was most easily affected by their difficulties so seeing him relaxed felt great for them. His smile didn't last for long though.

"Oh, hey, my name is Kevin. I suppose the four of us will be roommates?". A boy with red hair greeted them with a smirk, his hands folding a shirt neatly before setting it aside in a drawer. The three boys froze under the door frame, fortunately, their masks still covering their faces, and not letting the fourth boy see their wide open mouths. Chanhee turned to Juyeon and punched him on the shoulder, before taking his mask off and revealing a smiling face to Kevin. 

"So we won't be fine". Juyeon mumbled underneath the fabric while rubbing his pained shoulder. Both Changmin and he walked in the room, still considering what expressions to show.

**Author's Note:**

> p.s. because a friend of mine pointed this out after reading. 
> 
> like i mentioned in the summary this is supposed to happen - or at least start - during 2021. so... i totally forgot about the pandemic (please don't come at me and ask me how i managed to do that I DON'T KNOW) when i got this idea and started writing. just so we can all be happy let's just say that the pandemic doesn't exist here and everyone can travel and do whatever they desire freely. so no need for social distancing and obligatory face mask usage. although the characters will probably be wearing face masks a lot, it will be merely for them to cover their faces since, you know, they have to avoid being seen making different expressions, and maybe a secondary reason could be fashion purposes.


End file.
